Device to hang a bicycle on an airplane wing

ABSTRACT

A device for hanging a bicycle in an inverted position beneath the wing of an aircraft characterized by a mounting structure attached to the wing and supporting a pair of spaced brackets which receive and entrap the wheels of the bicycle. The mounting structure includes a pivot connecton so that the bicycle may swing through a limited arc in a directon perpendicular to the direction of movement of the airplane during flight.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a device for hanging a bicycle in an inverted position beneath the wing of an airplane.

When pilots of small aircrafts land at large airports, they often must park their aircraft in an area which is located a great distance from the main terminal building. Thus, the pilots often have difficulty in obtaining ground transportion to the therminal building. When pilots of small aircrafts land at smaller airports, they often cannot obtain ground transportion from the airport. Therefore, whether the pilots of private airplanes land at a small or large airport, they are faced with a need for some form of ground transportion which is readily available once the aircraft is on the ground.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to solving the problem of providing ground transportation for private aircraft pilots. To accomplish this task, the invention is directed to a device for hanging a bicycle in an inverted position beneath a wing of an airplane which device comprises first means for rigidly engaging each wheel of the bicycle and for locking the wheels against rotation, and a second means for mounting the first means beneath the lower surface of the wing with the wheels aligned in the direction of flight of the airplane and the second means including pivot means to allow the bicycle to swing in a limited arc in the direction perpendicular to the direction of flight. Preferably, the first means is a pair of spaced brackets which have a U-shape with legs for receiving a portion of each of the respective wheels of the bicycle which are entrapped between the pair of legs by a threaded fastener such as a bolt which clamps the legs of the bracket into tight engagement on the wheel to prevent rotation thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front view of an airplane having a bicycle hanging from each side of the wing by the device of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the device of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a cross section taken along lines III-III of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a cross section taken along lines IV-IV of FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The principles of the present invention are particularly useful when incorporated in the device generally indicated at 10 in FIG. 1 for hanging a bicycle generally indicated at 11 beneath a wing 12 of an airplane 13. As illustrated, a pair of devices 10 are disposed on a lower surface 14 of the wing 12 so that a pair of bicycles 11 are hung, one on each side of the fuselage 15. The devices 10 are positioned on the wing an equal distance from the centerline 16 of the airplane and outboard of the horizontal stabilizers 17 of the tail section of the plane 13.

To minimize drag, which will be created by the bicycle 11 being hung on the wing 12, the device 10 holds the bicycle in an inverted position with the front wheel 18 and rear wheel 19 (FIG. 2) locked against rotation. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the device 10 also holds the bicycle 11 with its frame 20 and the front and rear wheels in alignment in a plane which is parallel to the centerline 16 of the plane and the direction of flight of the plane.

As best illustrated in FIG. 2, the device 10 includes first means illustrated as a pair of brackets 21, 22 for engaging portions of each of the wheels 18 and 19 of the bicycle 11 and second means 23 for mounting the brackets 21 and 22 which form the first means beneath the lower surface 14 of the wing 12. The second means 23 includes a mounting member 24 which is mounted on the lower surface 14 adjacent to the tie down pad and is connected to structural portions of the wing 12 by appropriate means such as bolts or rivots 25. The second means 23 includes a second member 26 which is an elongated member that is illustrated as being attached to the member 24 by a pivotal connection 27. The pivotal connection 27 allows the member 26 to pivot or swing in a limited arc 28 which is in a plane perpendicular to the centerline 16 and the direction of flight of the plane 13 but maintains the elongated member 26 parallel to the centerline 16.

The pair of brackets 21, 22 of the first means are spaced along the member 26 with the first or front bracket 21 of the pair engaging and entrapping a portion of the front wheel 18 and the second or rear bracket 22 of the pair engaging and entrapping a portion of the rear wheel 19. Each of the brackets 21 and 22 have the same configuration and as illustrated in FIG. 4, the brackets have a U-shaped configuration with the bight portion 33 extending between a pair of parallel legs 34, 34 which form a socket for receiving a portion of the wheel such as the rear wheel 19 with the spacing between the legs 34, 34 being dependent on the tire and rim size of the wheel. To entrap a portion of the wheel within the socket, at least one fastening means such as a bolt 35 extends between the legs 34, 34 to entrap a portion of the wheel with the tire engaging the bight portion 33. In addition to entrapping the portion of the wheel and engaging the rim, the bolt 35 clamps the legs 34 into tight engagement with the tire. If desired, pads of a cushionlike material can be disposed on the inner surfaces of the legs 34, 34 to prevent scratching of the rims.

To enable adjusting the spacing between the brackets 21 and 22 so that the brackets can receive bicycles of different sizes, the member 26 includes means to enable adjusting the space therebetween. This can be accomplished by the member 26 being adjustable in length or, as illustrated, by one of the brackets such as rear bracket 22 being detachably connected on the member 26 by a plurality of bolts 37 which enable positioning the rear bracket 22 at different intervals from the front bracket 21.

As illustrated, the brackets 21 and 22 hold tires in substantial parallel alignment and in substantially the same plane with the frame 19 to reduce drag and prevent rotation of the wheels. However, the device 10 does allow the bicycle to swing through a limited arc 26 which is perpendicular to the direction of movement of the aircraft during flight and the centerline 16. During a turn which is properly executed, the bicycle will remain in its position as illustrated in FIG. 1; however, if the turn is not properly executed, the forces applied to the bicycle 11 will not be balanced and the limited swinging movement allows the bicycle 11 to move relative to the wing 12 to overcome any imbalance of forces applied thereto.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the axle 40 of the front wheel 18 is mounted in slots 41 in the front fork 42 of the frame 20. To prevent accidental disengagement of the axle 40 from the fork 42, means such as a strap 43 ties or connects the wheel 18 to a frame member 44. The strap 43 can be a conventional binding strap of necessary strength to maintain the wheel 18 mounted in the fork 42. In a similar manner, the rear axle 46 of the rear wheel 19 is received in slots 47 in the frame 20 of the bicycle 11. To prevent the accidental slipping of the rear axle 46 out of slot 47, means such as a plate or strip 48 is attached to the frame to close the open end of the slot 47 on each side of the frame 20. If the bicycle 11 has a free-wheeling crank sprocket 49, then appropriate holding means such as the strap is used to bind one of the crank arms such as 50 to a frame member 51 to prevent free-wheeling thereof.

While the first means for engaging and freezing each of the wheels 18 and 19 is illustrated as a pair of brackets 21 and 22, it is contemplated that a single bracket having sufficient length for engaging both the front and rear wheels can be utilized. While a pivotable connection 27 is illustrated between the member 26 and the member 24, the pivotable or hinge connection to allow limited swinging of the bicycle could be accomplished by a connection between the member 24 and its mounting on the lower surface 14 of the wing 12.

In constructing the device 10, the fastening of the second means 23 to the aircraft wing 12 will be dictated by various government regulations and specifications concerning the attachment of any device on an aircraft. It should be noted that the number of fastening elements and the structure of all elements of the device 10 will be in accordance with these regulations and specifications. Also, it should be noted that while the position of the device 10 is to be at or adjacent to the tie down pad, the exact position of the device 10 on each type of aircraft will be determined by the desired position of the center of gravity of the bicycle and device relative to the center of lift of the aircraft wing.

While the device 10 has been described for hanging an ordinary bicycle 11 which is propelled by peddles, the term bicycle is meant to include any vehicle having a frame with a seat and handlebar and mounted on two wheels, one behind the other and the term includes motor bikes, motorcycles and the like.

Although various minor modifications may be suggested by those versed in the art, it should be understood that I wish to employ within the scope of the patent granted hereon, all such modifications as reasonably and properly come within the scope of my contribution to the art. 

I claim:
 1. A device for hanging a bicycle in an inverted position beneath a wing of an airplane comprising first means for rigidly engaging each wheel of a bicycle and for locking the wheels against rotation, and second means for mounting the first means beneath the lower surface of the wing with the wheels aligned with the direction of flight of the airplane, said second means including pivot means to allow the bicycle to swing in a limited arc in a direction perpendicular to the direction of flight.
 2. A device according to claim 1, wherein the first means comprises a pair of brackets, each bracket receiving a portion of a respective wheel of the bicycle and having means for entrapping the portion therein and freezing the wheel against rotation; and wherein the second means includes a member supporting the brackets in spaced relationship on a line extending in the direction of flight of the airplane.
 3. A device according to claim 2, wherein each of the brackets is a U-shaped member having a pair of spaced legs with a threaded fastener extending therebetween to entrap the wheels and clamp the legs thereon.
 4. A device according to claim 2, wherein the member includes means for adjusting the space between the brackets so that bicycles of different wheel length can be mounted.
 5. A device according to claim 1, wherein the second means includes a pair of members with the first of the pair of members being adapted for mounting on the surface of the airplane wing and the second member being connected by a pivotable connection to the first member, said second member supporting the first means. 